WHISTLER 
EXHIBITION 


^ 


CATALOGUE 

OF 

PAINTINGS    IN    OIL 

AND    PASTEL 

BY 
JAMES    A.    MCNEILL    WHISTLER 


JAMES     ABBOTT     McNElLL     WHISTLER 


lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 


TH  E 

METROPOLITAN     MUSEUM 

O  F    A  RT 


PAINTINGS    IN    OIL 

AND 

PASTEL 

BY 

JAMES  A.  McNeill 

WHISTLER 


NEW    YORK 

MARCH     15     TO     M  AY    3  I 

MCM  X 


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SHLF  ARTS 

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INTRODUCTION 

The  present  exhibition  of  paintings  by  Whistler 
aims  to  give  a  comprehensive  idea  of  the  scope 
and  development  of  his  work  in  color.  Only 
enough  pictures  have  been  included  to  satisfac- 
torily fill  the  Gallery  of  Temporary  Exhibitions, 
and  in  their  selection  the  attempt  has  been  made 
to  exemplify  the  painter  s  accomplishment  as 
adequately  as  possible  at  the  various  stages  of 
his  career.  Owing  to  the  limited  space  at  our 
disposal  for  the  exhibition,  water-colors  have  not 
been  included,  as  it  was  feared  that,  with  their 
exceedingly  delicate  and  evanescent  tone,  they 
could  hardly  he  seen  to  advantage  in  the  close 
neighborhood  of  the  more  dominant  oils  and 
pastels.  This  is  the  first  considerable  exhibition 
of  Whistler's  paintings  that  has  been  held  in  New 
York,  although  his  etchings  and  lithographs  have 
frequently  been  seen  here. 

The  Museum  gratefully  acknowledges  its  obliga- 
tion to  those  who,  by  their  generous  cooperation, 
have  aided  in  forming  this  exhibition.  These  are: 
The  National  Gallery  of  Art,  Washington,  D.  C. 
{Freer  Collection);  The  Brooklyn  Institute  of 
Arts  and  Sciences;    The    Carnegie    Institute   of 

V 


U.C.LA. 
ART  LIBRARY 


THE   METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM   OF    ART 

Pittsburgh;  Mr.  H.  H.  Benedict;  Mr.  Richard 
A.  Canfield;  Col.  Frank  J.  Hecker;  Mr.  John 
G.  Johnson;  Mr.  Howard  Mansfield;  Miss 
Rosalind  Bernie  Philip;  Mr.  Alfred  Atmore 
Pope;  Mr.  Herbert  L.  Pratt;  Mr.  Arthur  Studd; 
Mrs.  Samuel  Uniermyer,  and  Mr.  John  H.  IVhitte- 
more.  The  thanks  of  the  Museum  are  particu- 
larly due  to  Mr.  Charles  L.  Freer,  without  whose 
continual  and  sympathetic  aid  the  exhibition 
could  not  have  taken  place. 
The  catalogue  has  been  prepared  with  a  view  to 
making  it  not  only  of  service  in  the  gallery  but 
also  an  aid  to  the  further  study  of  the  life  and  work 
of  Whistler.  A  chronological  biography  is  given, 
the  pictures  are  catalogued  chronologically,  and 
there  is  a  short  description  of  each  picture  with 
notes  regarding  its  execution  and  inclusion  in  the 
Whistler  exhibitions  listed.  His  work  was  shown 
from  time  to  time  in  the  Royal  Academy,  the  Salon 
and  other  current  exhibitions,  but  this  is  noted 
only  in  a  few  important  cases.  The  si^es  are  all 
sight  measurements.  Wedmore's  catalogue  num- 
ber is  given  when  referring  to  an  etching.  If  a 
painting  has  been  reproduced  oiie  reference  is 
entered,  preference  being  given  to  the  illustrations 
in  the  biography  by  the  Pennells. 
The  authorised  "  Life  of  James  McNeill  Whistler" 
by  E.  R.  and  J .  Pennell,  published  in  1908,  has 
been  freely  drawn  upon  in  compiling  this  volume, 
as  have  also  the  catalogues  of  the  Memorial  ex- 

VI 


INTRODUCTION 

hibitions  held  in  London  and  Paris,  and  the 
"IVorks  of  James  McNeill  Whistler,"  by  Elisa- 
beth Luther  Cary.  The  self  portrait  sketch  of 
JVhistler,  which  forms  the  frontispiece  of  this 
book,  is  now  reproduced  for  the  first  time. 
This  catalogue  has  been  prepared  by  Florence  N. 
Levy. 


VII 


JAMES    ABBOTT    M c N E I L L 
WHISTLER 

CHRONOLOGICAL    BIOGRAPHY 


1834    July  10  or  II — Birth  at  Lowell,  Mass. 
1834    Nov.  9 — Baptized  James  Abbott  Whis- 
tler, in  the  Church  of  St.  Anne,  Lowell. 
1837     Family  moved  to  Stonington,  Conn. 
1840     Family  moved  to  Springfield,  Mass. 

1842  His  father,  Major  George  Washington 
Whistler,  went  to  Russia  to  superintend  the 
construction  of  the  railroad  from  St.  Peters- 
burg to  Moscow. 

1843  ^u§-  12 — Mrs.  Whistler  with  her  family 
sailed  from  Boston  to  join  her  husband  in  St. 
Petersburg. 

1845     Took  drawing  lessons  at  the   Imperial 
Academy  of  Sciences,  St.  Petersburg. 
1849    April  7 — Death  of  his  father. 
1849    July  29 — Returned  to  the  United  States, 
reaching  New  York  Aug.  9,  and  going  at  once 
to  Stonington,  Conn. 

1 85 1  July  I — Entered  the  United  States  Mili- 
tary Academy  at  West  Point.  Added  to  his 
name  his  mother's  maiden  name,  McNeill. 

IX 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM   OF    ART 

1854  July  16 — Discharged  from  West  Point 
Academy  for  deficiency  in  chemistry. 

1854  Nov.  7 — Received  an  appointment  in  the 
drawing  division  of  the  United  States  Coast  and 
Geodetic  Survey  at  Washington,  D.  C,  at  a 
salary  of  $1.50  a  day. 

1855  Feb. — Resigned  his  position.  The  rec- 
ords show  that  he  worked  six  and  a  half  days 
in  January  and  five  and  three-quarters  days  in 
February. 

1855     Summer — Arrived     in    Paris.     Entered 

Gleyre's  studio. 

1859    His  painting,  At  the  Piano,  rejected  at 

the  Paris  Salon. 

1859    Went  to  London  to  live. 

1862  Exhibited  for  the  first  time  at  the  Royal 
Academy. 

1863  Paintings  rejected  by  the  Paris  Salon, 
but  hung  in  the  Salon  des  Refusees. 

1863     Took  his  first  house  in  London  and  his 

mother  came  to  live  with  him  at  No.  7  Lindsey 

Row,  Chelsea. 

1 863- 1 866    Japanese  influence  most  strongly 

shown  in  his  work. 

1866    Went  to  Valparaiso. 

1 87 1  The  first  exhibition  of  a  "Variation" 
and  a  "Harmony." 

1872  "Symphonies"  exhibited  for  the  first 
time  and  an  impression  of  night  under  the 
title  "Nocturne." 


CHRONOLOGICAL    BIOGRAPHY 

1872     Arrangement  in  Gray  and   Black:  Por- 
trait  of   the   Artist's    Mother,    shown   at    the 
Royal  Academy;  the  last  work  exhibited  there 
by  Whistler. 
1876-7    The  Peacock  room. 

1877  April  30 — Private  view  of  the  first  Gros- 
venor  Gallery  exhibition,  which  contained  the 
Falling  Rocket. 

1878  Nov.  25  and  26 — Whistler  v.  Ruskin 
trial. 

1878  Dec. — Published  Whistler  v.  Ruskin:  Art 
and  Art  Critics,  the  first  of  a  series  of  brown 
paper  covered  pamphlets. 

1879  Sept.  18 — Auction  sale  of  the  contents  of 
his  home,  followed  by  a  sale  of  his  paintings  at 
Sotheby  s  on  Feb.  12,  1880. 

1879  Sept. — Went  to  Venice;  executed  many 
etchings  and  pastels. 

1880  Nov. — Returned  to  London. 

1 88 1  Autumn — The  Pennsylvania  Academy 
of  the  Fine  Arts  exhibited  The  Portrait  of  the 
Artist's  Mother,  and  it  was  seen  the  following 
spring  at  the  exhibition  of  the  Society  of  Ameri- 
can Artists  in  New  York.  This  was  the  first 
time  that  Whistler  had  been  represented  in 
American  exhibitions. 

1885  Feb.  20 — Delivered  a  lecture  at  Prince's 
Hall,  London,  at  10  p.m.  This  lecture  was  re- 
peated several  times  and  in  1888  he  published  it 
under  the  title  of  Mr.  Whistler's  Ten  O'Clock. 

XI 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM    OF    ART 

1888  Aug.  II — Marriage  with  Beatrix  God- 
win, widow  of  E.  \V.  Godwin,  the  architect  for 
the  White  House.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
John  Bernie  Phihp,  a  sculptor,  and  was  herself 
an  etcher. 

1890  June — The  Gentle  Art  of  Making  Enemies 
was  published  in  London. 

1 89 1  The  Carlyle  purchased  by  the  Glasgow 
City  Gallery  and  The  Artist's  Mother  by  the 
Luxembourg,  Paris. 

1892  Went  to  Paris  to  live. 
1896    May  10 — Death  of  his  wife. 

1902  April — Took  a  house  at  No.  74  Cheyne 
Walk,  Chelsea,  London,  returning  after  ten 
years  to  the  neighborhood  where  he  had  spent 
thirty  years  of  his  life. 

1903  July  17 — Death  of  Whistler. 


XII 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITIONS 


1874  June  6 — Private  view  at  No.  48  Pall 
Mall,  London,  of  thirteen  paintings  and  fifty 
prints.  Whistler's  first  "one  man  show." 
1 88 1  Jan.  28 — Press  view  of  an  exhibition  of 
fifty-three  pastels  at  the  Fine  Art  Society  in 
Bond  Street,  London. 

1883  Feb. — Fifty-one  etchings  and  dry-points 
exhibited  in  Bond  Street  Gallery. 

1884  May — Notes  —  Harmonies  —  Nocturnes 
shown  at  the  Dowdeswell  Gallery,  London. 
1884     Nov. — ^Twenty-five  works  sent  to  the  ex- 
hibition of  the  Dublin  Sketching  Club. 

1886  May — A  second  series  of  Notes — Har- 
monies— Nocturnes  shown  at  the  Dowdeswell 
Gallery. 

1889  At  the  College  for  Working  Women, 
Queen  Square,  London,  there  was  seen  the 
most  representative  exhibition  of  his  work  since 
that  of  1874. 

1892  March  19 — Opening  reception  at  the 
Goupil  Galleries,  Bond  Street,  London,  of  an 
exhibition    of    forty-four    Nocturnes,    Marines 

XIII 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM   OF    ART 

and  Chevalet  Pieces,  for  which  Whistler  pre- 
pared the  catalogue. 

1895  Dec. — Seventy  lithographs  exhibited  in 
London. 

1904  Feb. — At  the  78th  Annual  Exhibition  of 
the  Royal  Scottish  Academy,  Glasgow,  there 
was  a  memorial  group  of  twenty-two  oil  paint- 
ings and  thirty-three  pastels  and  etchings. 
1904  Feb.  and  March — ^The  Copley  Society  of 
Boston  held,  at  Copley  Hall,  a  Memorial  Ex- 
hibition of  the  IVorks  of  Mr.  J.  McNeill  Whis- 
tler. There  were  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
four  oil  paintings,  water  colors,  pastels  and 
drawings,  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  etchings 
and  dry-points,  and  eighty  lithographs. 

1904  April  15  to  May  7 — The  Grolier  Club, 
New  York,  held  an  exhibition  of  etchings, 
consisting  of  six  hundred  and  twenty-five  im- 
pressions from  three  hundred  and  ninety-six 
plates. 

1905  Feb.  22  to  April  15 — Memorial  Exhi- 
bition of  the  IVorks  of  the  Late  James  McNeill 
IVhistler,  First  President  of  the  International 
Society  of  Sculptors,  Painters,  and  Gravers, 
in  the  New  Gallery,  Regent  Street,  London. 
It  was  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Society 
and  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  forty-eight 
etchings  from  the  Royal  Collections;  a  chrono- 
logical collection  of  three  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight  etchings;  fourteen  black  and  white  and 

XIV 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITIONS 

colored  prints;  two  hundred  and  seven  litho- 
graphs, black  and  whites  and  pastels,  and  one 
hundred  and  forty-two  nocturnes,  marines  and 
chevalet  pieces. 

1905  May — Exhibition  at  the  Palais  de  r£cole 
des  Beaux-Arts,  Paris,  consisting  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty-eight  paintings,  one  hundred  and 
one  lithographs,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty 
etchings. 


XV 


HONORS 


1863 — GOLD   MEDAL   AT  THE   HAGUE 

1863 — THIRD   CLASS    MEDAL,    PARIS    SALON 

1886  TO    1888 — PRESIDENT   OF   THE   SOCIETY   OF 
BRITISH    ARTISTS 

1888 — SECOND   CLASS    MEDAL,    MUNICH 

1888 — HONORARY      MEMBER      BAVARIAN      ROYAL 
ACADEMY 

1889 — FIRST   CLASS    MEDAL,    MUNICH 

1889 — CROSS   OF    ST.    MICHAEL   OF    BAVARIA 

1889 — FIRST    CLASS     MEDAL,     BRITISH     SECTION, 
PARIS    EXPOSITION    UNIVERSELLE 

1889 — CHEVALIER    OF    THE    LEGION    OF    HONOR, 
FRANCE 

1889 — GOLD   MEDAL,    AMSTERDAM 

189I — MEMBER     OF     SOCIETE      NATIONALE     DES 
BEAUX-ARTS,    PARIS 

I  89 1 — OFFICER   OF   THE    LEGION    OF   HONOR 

1893 — GOLD     MEDAL,     COLUMBIAN     EXPOSITION, 
CHICAGO 

1894 — TEMPLE      GOLD      MEDAL,      PENNSYLVANIA 

ACADEMY   OF   THE   FINE   ARTS, 

PHILADELPHIA 

1895 — GOLD   MEDAL,    ANTWERP 
XVII 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM   OF   ART 

1895 — PRIZE  OF  2,500  FRANCS  OFFERED  BY  THE 
CITY   OF    MURANO,    VENICE    INTER- 
NATIONAL   EXPOSITION 

1898,    APRIL    23,    UNTIL    HIS    DEATH,    PRESIDENT 
OF   THE    INTERNATIONAL   SOCIETY   OF 
SCULPTORS,    PAINTERS    AND   GRAVERS 

1900 — GRAND    PRIZE    FOR   PAINTING   AND   GRAND 
PRIZE    FOR    ETCHING,    AMERICAN    SEC- 
TION,   PARIS    EXPOSITION 
UNIVERSELLE 

190 1 — GOLD   MEDAL,    DRESDEN 

190 1 — MEMBER   ACADEMIE    ROYALE   DES    BEAUX- 
ARTS,    DRESDEN 

1902 — GOLD    MEDAL    OF    HONOR,    PENNSYLVANIA 

ACADEMY   OF   THE    FINE   ARTS, 

PHILADELPHIA 

1903 — DEGREE    OF    LL.D.    CONFERRED    BY    GLAS- 
GOV/    UNIVERSITY 


XVIII 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


The  works  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*)  will  be 
found  in  the  Museum  Library.  A  card  cata- 
logue of  magazine  article  on  Whistler  may  also 
be  consulted  there. 

Bacher,  Otto  H.  *  With  Whistler  in  Venice. 
New  York,  1908. 

Bell,  Arthur  G.  and  Nancy.  J.  McNeill 
Whistler  and  his  Work.     New  York,  1904. 

Bell,  Nancy  E.  (Mrs.  Arthur  Bell).  James 
McNeill  Whistler.  London  and  New  York, 
1904.     (Miniature  Series  of  Painters). 

Representative    Painters    of    the    XIX 

Century.     London,  1899.     Pp.  49-52. 

Benedite,  Leonce.  *  L'oeuvre  de  James  Mac- 
Neill  Whistler  reunis  a  I'occasion  de  I'exposition 
commemorative.     Paris,  1905. 

Bowdoin,  W.  G.  James  McNeill  Whistler,  the 
Man  and  his  Work.  London,  190 1.  New  York, 
1902. 

James  McNeill   Whistler.     London  and 

New  York,  1904. 

XIX 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM   OF    ART 

Brinton,  Christian.  *  Modern  Artists.  Pp. 
99-113.     New  York,  1908. 

Caffin,  Charles  H.  *  American  Masters  of 
Painting.     Pp.  37-54.     New  York,  1902. 

*  The  Story  of  American  Painting.     Pp. 

285-303.     New  York,  1907. 

Cary,  Elisabeth  Luther.  *The  Works  of 
James  McNeill  Whistler.     New  York,  1907. 

Chesterton,  G.  K.     Heretics.     London,  1905. 

Child,  Theodore.  American  Artists  at  the 
Paris  Exposition.  Pp.  78-97.  Art  and  Crit- 
icism.    New  York,  1892. 

A   Pre-Raphaelite   Mansion.     Pp.   305- 

312.     Art  and  Criticism.     New  York,  1892. 

Copley  Society  of  Boston.  *  Memorial  Ex- 
hibition of  the  Works  of  Mr.  J.  McNeill  Whis- 
tler, February,  1904. 

Cox,  Kenyon.  *  Old  Masters  and  New.  Pp. 
227-254.     New  York,  1905. 

Dennis,  G.  R.  *  Bryan's  Dictionary  of  Paint- 
ers and  Engravers.     London,  1905. 

DuRET,  Theodore.  *  Histoire  de  J.  McN. 
Whistler  et  de  son  oeuvre.     Paris,  1904. 

*  Critique  d'avant-garde.      Pp.  245-260 

Paris,  1885. 

XX 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Eddy,  Arthur  Jerome.  *  Recollections  and 
Impressions  of  James  A.  McNeill  Whistler. 
London,  1903. 

Exposition  des  ceuvres  de  James  MacNeill 
Whistler.  Introduction  by  Leonce  Benedite. 
Palais  de  I'Ecole  des  Beaux-Arts.  Paris.  May, 
1905. 

Forsyth,  Walter  Greenwood,  and  Harri- 
son, Joseph  LeRoy,  Ed.  *  Guide  to  the  Study 
of  James  Abbott  McNeill  Whistler.  Albany, 
1895.     (University  of  the  State  of  New  York.) 

Gallatin,  Albert  E.  (A. E.G.)  *  Whistler: 
Notes  and  Footnotes,  and  other  Memoranda. 
New  York,  1907. 

Goodspeed,  Charles  E.  Whistler's  Art  Dicta 
and  Other  Essays.     Boston,  1904. 

Grolier  Club,  New  York.  The  Etched  Work 
of  Whistler.  Compiled  by  Edward  G.  Ken- 
nedy; introduction  by  Royal  Cortissoz.     1910. 

H.,  C.  J.  (HoLLiNGwoRTH  ?).  *  The  Peacock 
Room.     Obach  Galleries,  London,  1904. 

Hartmann,  Sadakichi.  *  A  History  of  Ameri- 
can Art.  Vol.  2;  pp.  132-137,  163-173.  Bos- 
ton, 1902. 

Hubbard,  Elbert.  Whistler.  East  Aurora, 
N.  Y.,  1903.     (Little  Journeys  Series.) 

XXI 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM    OF    ART 

HuYSMAN,  J.  K.  *  Certains.  (G.  Moreau, 
Degas,  Cheret,  Whistler,  Rops,  etc.)  Paris^ 
1889. 

International  Society  of  Sculptors, 
Painters  and  Gravers.  *  Memorial  Exhibi- 
tion of  the  Works  of  the  late  James  McNeill 
Whistler,  London,  February  22d  to  April  15th, 
1905. 

IsHAM,  Samuel.  *  The  History  of  American 
Painting.     Pp.  316-340.     New  York,  1905. 

Knoor,  Th.  J.  M.  Whistler,  Zehnuhr  Vor- 
lesung.     Strassburg,  1904. 

Koehler,  Sylvester  Rosa.  *  Etching,  p. 
162.     New  York,  1885. 

MacFall,  Haldane.  Whistler:  Butterfly, 
Wasp,  Wit,  Master  of  the  Arts,  Enigma.  Bos- 
ton, 1907. 

Whistler.     Boston,  1906.     (Spirit  of  the 

Age  Series.) 

Mansfield,  Howard.  *  A  Descriptive  Cata- 
logue of  the  Etchings  and  Dry-points  of  James 
Abbott  McNeill  Whistler.  Chicago,  Caxton 
Club,  1909. 

Mauclair,  C.  De  Watteau  a  Whistler.  Paris, 
1905. 

MacColl,  Donald  Stewart.  *  Nineteenth 
Century  Art;  James  M'Neill  Whistler.  Pp. 
154-158.     Glasgow,  1902. 

XXII 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

McSpadden',  J.  Walker.  *  Famous  Painters 
of  America.     Pp.  221-271.     New  York,  1907. 

Menpes,  Mortimer.  *  Whistler  as  I  Knew 
Him.     London,  1904. 

Moore,  George.  *  Modern  Painting.  Pp. 
1-24  and  256-7.     London,  1898. 

MuTHER,  Richard.  *  History  of  Modern 
Paintings.  Vol.  4;  pp.  1-44.  London,  New 
York,  1907. 

Pattison,  James  William.  *  Painters  Since 
Leonardo.     Pp.  202-206.     Chicago,  1904. 

Pennell,  E.  R.  and  J.  *The  Life  of  James 
McNeill  Whistler.     London,  1908. 

RosETTi,  William  Michael.  Fine  Art,  Chiefly 
Contemporary.  Vol.  3;  pp.  645-664.  New 
York,  1896. 

Singer,  Hans  W.  *  James  McNeill  Whistler. 
Berlin,  1904.     London,  1905.  (Langham  Series). 

Studio.     *  Whistler  Portfolio.     London,  1905. 

Symons,  Arthur.  *  Studies  in  Seven  Arts. 
Pp.  1 21-148.     New  York,  1906. 

Thomas,  Ralph.  Catalogue  of  the  etchings 
and  dry-points  of  James  Abbott  Macneil  Whis- 
tler.    London,  1874. 

TucKERMAN,  H.  T.  *  Book  of  Artists.  Pp. 
485-486.     New  York,  1867. 

XXIII 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM    OF    ART 

Victoria  and  Albert  Museum.  The  Etch- 
ings of  J.  McN.  Whistler.  (Catalogue.)  Lon- 
don, 1905. 

VosE,  George  L.  Sketch  of  the  Life  and 
Works  of  George  W.  Whistler,  Civil  Engineer. 
Boston,  1887. 

Way,  Thomas  R.  *  Mr.  Whistler's  Litho- 
graphs.    London,  1896. 

Way,  R.  and  Dennis  G.  R.  *  The  Art  of 
James  McNeill  Whistler;  An  Appreciation. 
London,  1903. 

Wedmore,  Frederick.  *  Whistler's  Etching: 
A  Study  and  a  Catalogue.     London,  1886. 

*  A  Note  on  the  Etchings  by  Whistler 


Exhibited  at  the  Galleries  of  Obach  &  Com- 
pany, London,  1903. 

Four  Masters  of  Etching  (Whistler,  Le- 

gros,  Seymour  Haden  and  Jacquemart).  Pp. 
28-39.     London,  1883-89. 

*  Whistler  and  Others  (24  essays).  Lon- 
don and  New  York,  1906. 

Whistler,  J.  A.  M.  Eden  v.  V/histler.  The 
Baronet  and  the  Butterfly:  A  Valentine  with  a 
Verdict.     Paris,  1899. 

*  The  Gentle  Art  of  Making  Enemies. 

London,   1890.     (New  edition,   1892,  includes: 

XXIV 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Mr.  Whistler's  Ten  O'Clock;  Whistler  v.  Rus- 
kin;  The  Painter-Etcher  Papers,  and  The  Noc- 
turnes, Marines  and  Chevalet  Pieces.) 

Nocturnes,  Marines  and  Chevalet  Pieces. 

London,  1892. 

The  Paddon  Papers;  or  The  Owl  and  the 

Cabinet.     London,  1882. 

The  Piker  Papers. 

*  Mr.  Whistler's  Ten  O'Clock.     London, 

1888. 

*  Whistler    v.     Ruskin;    Art    and    Art 

Critics.  The  White  House,  Chelsea,  London, 
December,  1878. 

Whistler     Album.      (20    photographs). 

Paris,  1892. 

Wilde  V.  Whistler:  being  an  Acrimonious 

Correspondence.     London,  1896. 


XXV 


CATALOGUE 

OF 

PAINTINGS    IN    OIL 

AND    PASTEL 

BY   . 

JAMES    A.    McNElLL   WHISTLER 


I  HARMONY  IN  GREEN  AND 
ROSE:  THE   MUSIC   room 

LENT    BY    FRANK   J.    HECKER 

The  corner  of  a  room  with  a  mirror  at  the  left 
which  reflects  a  lady,  who  is  not  seen  in  the 
picture.  In  front  of  the  window  hangs  a  pair 
of  curtains,  their  white  ground  covered  with 
red  flowers  and  green  leaves.  In  the  back- 
ground, near  the  window,  a  little  girl  in  white  is 
seated,  reading.  On  the  right  stands  a  young 
woman  in  a  black  riding  habit  which  she  holds 
with  her  gloved  right  hand.  The  carpet  is 
dark  red. 

The  picture  was  painted  in  i860  in  the  London 
home  of  Sir  F.  Seymour  Haden,  the  painter- 
etcher.  The  reflection  in  the  mirror  is  that  of 
Lady  Seymour  Haden,  Whistler's  step-sister, 
with  whom  he  was  living  at  the  time;  the  little 
girl  is  Annie  Haden,  and  the  lady  in  a  riding 
habit  is  Miss  Boot,  a  connection  of  the  Hadens 
by  marriage.     The  first  title  of  the  picture  was 

I 


THE  METROPOLITAN  MUSEUM  OF  ART 

The  Morning  Call.  There  are  four  etchings  of 
Annie  (W.  2,  15,  24,  and  57).  The  etching  of 
The  Music  Room  (W.  26)  is  an  entirely  different 
composition,  showing  the  Haden  family  in  the 
same  room. 

The  painting  was  shown  at  the  Goupil  Gallery 
Exhibition  in  1892  (No.  12),  when  it  was  lent 
by  Mme.  Reveillon;  it  was  in  the  Memorial  Ex- 
hibitions at  Boston  (No.  15)  and  Paris  (No.  7). 
An  illustration  appears  in  Pennell,  v.  i,  p.  90. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  37!",  W.  29". 

2     BLUE    AND    SILVER:the    blue 

WAVE  —  BIARRITZ 

LENT    BY    ALFRED   ATMORE    POPE 

The  blue  wave  breaks  over  a  reef  of  brown 
rocks.  Above  is  a  light  sky  with  broken  drift- 
ing clouds.  Signed,  IVhistler  1862,  on  the  rocks 
in  the  foreground,  to  the  left. 
Whistler  was  one  of  the  group  who  went  to 
Bonvin's  studio  in  1858  to  work  from  the 
model  under  the  direction  of  Courbet  and  the 
master's  influence  is  seen  in  this  picture. 
It  was  included  in  the  Memorial  Exhibitions  at 
Boston  (No.  54),  London  (No.  29)  and  Paris 
(No.  55).  In  Leonce  Benedite's  plates  from  the 
Paris  Memorial  Exhibition  it  was  reproduced 
as  No.  XXIX. 

Oil  on  canvas;  H.  24I",  W.  34!". 

2 


WHISTLER   EXHIBITION,    NUMBER   3 

3     SYMPHONY      IN      WHITE,      I: 

THE    WHITE     GIRL 

LENT    BY   JOHN    H.    WHITTEMORE 

It  is  the  full  length,  life  size  figure  of  a  young 
woman,  turned  slightly  to  the  left.  She  is 
dressed  in  white  and  stands  on  a  white  fur 
rug  that  lies  on  a  white  and  blue  carpet,  in 
front  of  a  white  curtain.  Her  eyes  are  gray  and 
her  dark  auburn  hair  hangs  about  her  face;  in 
her  left  hand  she  holds,  loosely,  a  single  white 
flower,  while  pansies,  lilacs  and  other  flowers 
are  scattered  on  the  rug  and  carpet. 
It  is  signed  on  the  right  at  the  top,  IVhistler, 
1862.  The  frame  was  designed  by  Whistler 
and  decorated  with  an  imbricated  design;  the 
butterfly  signature  is  on  the  right-hand  side 
above  the  center.  On  the  back  of  the  frame  in 
the  artist's  handwriting:  /.  A.  McNeill  Whis- 
tler, 2  Lindsey  Houses,  Chelsea,  his  address  from 
1866  to  1878. 

The  model  for  this  was  Jo — Joanna  Heflfernan, 
Mrs.  Abbot,  an  Irish  woman  of  little  education 
but  of  keen  intelligence,  who,  while  sitting  to 
Whistler,  learned  much  about  painting  and  be- 
came well  read.  She  played  an  important  part 
in  Whistler's  life  during  the  early  London  years 
and  was  with  him  in  France  in  1 86 1-2,  going 
to  Paris  in  the  winter  to  give  him  sittings  for 
The  White  Girl,  which  he  painted  in  a  studio 

3 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM   OF    ART 

in  the  Boulevard  des  Batignolles.  He  also 
painted  her,  although  perhaps  not  that  winter, 
as  La  Belle  Irlandaise,  as  Jo,  Note  Blanche  and 
as  The  Little  White  Girl  (No.  6  in  this  exhibi- 
tion). There  is  also  a  dry-point  of  Jo  (W.  64) 
dated  1861,  which  shows  her  with  streaming 
hair. 

This  picture  was  his  first  attempt  to  carry  out 
the  principle  afterward  set  down  in  his  Ten 
O'clock,  that  "the  artist  is  born  to  pick  and 
choose,  and  group  with  science,  the  elements 
contained  in  nature,  that  the  result  may  be 
beautiful."  It  was  an  arrangement  of  white 
against  white  which  was  not  understood  at  that 
time.  The  White  Girl  was  sent  to  the  Royal 
Academy  of  1862  but  was  rejected.  The  man- 
ager of  the  Berners  Gallery  exhibited  it  at  the 
opening  exhibition  in  the  summer  of  1862  and 
the  AtheTiceum  said  that  it  was  "  the  most  prom- 
inent picture  in  the  collection,  though  not  the 
most  perfect.  Able  as  this  bizarre  production 
shows  Mr.  Whistler  to  be,  it  is  one  of  the  most 
incomplete  paintings  we  have  ever  met  with.  A 
woman  in  a  quaint  morning  dress  of  white,  with 
her  hair  about  her  shoulders,  stands  alone  in  a 
background  of  nothing  in  particular.  But  for 
the  rich  vigor  of  the  textures,  we  might  con- 
ceive this  to  be  some  old  portrait  by  Zucchero, 
or  a  pupil  of  his,  practicing  in  a  provincial  town. 
The  face  is  well  done,  but  it  is  not  that  of  Mr. 

4 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBER   3 

Wilkie  Collins's  Woman  in  White."  This  brought 
forth  what  is  beHeved  to  be  the  first  of  Whis- 
tler's long  series  of  letters  to  the  press.  He 
wrote  that  he  had  no  intention  of  illustrating 
Mr.  Wilkie  Collins's  novel,  which,  it  happened, 
he  had  never  read,  and  that  his  picture  repre- 
sented merely  a  girl  in  white  standing  in  front 
of  a  white  curtain. 

After  its  Berners  Street  success.  The  White 
Girl  was  chosen  by  Whistler  for  the  Paris  Salon 
of  1863,  where  it  was  rejected;  but  it  was  shown 
in  the  Salon  de  Refusees,  arranged  by  order  of 
Napoleon  III  in  the  same  building  as  the  official 
Salon.  Zola,  in  L'CEuvre,  says  that  the  crowd 
laughed  in  front  of  La  Dame  en  Blanc.  Des- 
noyers  thought  it  the  most  remarkable  picture, 
at  once  simple  and  fantastic  with  a  beauty  so 
peculiar  that  the  public  did  not  know  whether 
to  think  it  beautiful  or  ugly.  Paul  Mantz  wrote 
in  the  Gaiette  des  Beaux-Arts  that  it  was  the 
most  important  picture  in  the  exhibition  and 
calls  the  picture  a  "Symphonic  du  Blanc,"  some 
years  before  Whistler  adopted  that  title.  The 
White  Girl  was  the  first  of  the  "Symphonies  in 
White";  No.  II  is  The  Little  White  Girl  lent  by 
Mr.  Arthur  H.  Studd  (No.  6  in  this  catalogue), 
and  Symphony  in  White  No.  Ill  is  the  picture 
now  known  as  The  Two  Little  White  Girls, 
which  belongs  to  Mr.  Edmund  Davis. 
The  White  Girl  was  shown  in  the  American  sec- 

5 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM    OF    ART 

tion  of  the  Paris  International  Exposition  of 
1867;  the  title  Symphony  in  White  No.  1:  The 
White  Girl  was  used  for  the  first  time  when  it 
was  in  the  International  Exhibition  at  South 
Kensington,  London,  in  1872;  it  was  lent  to 
The  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  from  July, 
1894,  to  December,  1895;  and  was  shown  in  the 
Portrait  Show  held  at  the  National  Academy 
of  Design,  New  York,  in  1898.  It  was  in  the 
Memorial  Exhibitions  in  Boston  (No.  71),  in 
London  (No.  37)  and  in  Paris  (No.  4).  An 
illustration  appears  in  Pennell,  v.  i,  p.  112. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  84^",  W.  421". 


4  THE  LANGE  LEIZEN— OF 
THE    SIX    MARKS:    purple    and 

ROSE 

LENT    BY   JOHN    G.   JOHNSON 

A  young  woman  in  Japanese  costume  is  seated 
and  with  her  left  hand  holds  on  her  lap  a  blue 
and  white  vase  of  the  shape  known  in  Holland 
as  the  "Lange  Leizen";  the"  six  marks  "  refers 
to  the  potter's  mark  on  the  bottom  of  the  vase. 
The  sleeve  of  her  kimono  covers  her  raised  right 
hand  in  which  she  holds  a  brush.  Her  skirt  is 
black  with  a  delicate  design  in  color;  the  kimono 
has  bright  flowers  on  a  cream-white  ground  and 
is  lined  with  rose  color;  a  band  of  rose,  edged 
with  black,  finishes  the  sleeve.     A  black  scarf 

6 


WHISTLER   EXHIBITION,    NUMBER   4 

is  tied  around  her  hair  and  falls  over  each 
shoulder.  There  are  several  blue  and  white 
vases,  an  Oriental  carpet  is  on  the  floor,  to  the 
right  is  a  red  covered  table,  and  back  of  her  a 
chest. 

Signed,  Whistler  1864,  on  the  green  and  orange 
pendants  in  the  upper  right  corner.  The  frame 
was  designed  by  Whistler  and  decorated  by  him 
with  Chinese  frets  and  the  six  marks. 
The  Lange  Leizen,  The  Gold  Screen,  The  Bal- 
cony and  the  Princesse  du  Pays  de  la  Porce- 
laine  are  the  important  pictures  with  Japanese 
motives  that  were  painted  between  1862  and 
1866  in  the  studio  at  No.  7  Lindsey  Row,  a 
modest  little  second-story  back  room.  The 
method  was  that  of  his  earlier  works,  the  paint 
thickly  laid  on,  with  the  richness  he  later  sacri- 
ficed to  other  and  more  subtle  qualities.  The 
difference  was  in  his  subjects.  It  was  not 
Japan,  however,  that  Whistler  wanted  to  paint 
— he  clothed  his  English  models  in  Eastern 
dress  and  produced  beautiful  color  and  form 
with  Japanese  detail.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
to  appreciate  the  beauty  of  Chinese  porcelains 
and  owned  choice  pieces. 

This  picture  was  in  the  Royal  Academy  of  1864, 
and  in  the  Goupil  Gallery  Exhibition  of  1892 
(No.  5).     An  illustration  appears  in  Pennel,  v. 
I,  p.  122. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  35I",  W.  23^". 

7 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM    OF    ART 

5     HARMONY    IN    PURPLE   AND 
gold,    ii:    the    golden   screen 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

A  young  woman  in  Japanese  costume  is  seated 
on  a  brown  rug,  her  head  seen  in  profile  to  the 
right,  as  she  examines  a  Japanese  print  held  in 
her  left  hand.  She  wears  a  purple  under 
kimono  with  multicolored  flowers  and  bor- 
dered with  a  vermilion  scarf,  and  a  green  obi 
is  around  her  waist;  her  outer  kimono  is  white 
with  a  red  flowered  design.  To  the  left  is  a 
tea  box,  some  roses,  and  in  a  blue  and  white 
vase  there  are  pansies;  to  the  right,  Hiroshige 
prints  are  scattered  over  the  floor  and  beyond 
is  a  folding  chair;  the  background  consists  of  a 
folding  screen  with  Japanese  houses  and  figures 
painted  on  a  gold  ground.  Signed,  IVhistler 
1864,  at  the  left  on  the  rug  near  the  box. 
It  was  exhibited  at  the  Royal  Academy  in 
1865;  was  lent  by  Cyril  Flower  to  the  Goupil 
Gallery  Exhibition  of  1892  (No.  14),  and  was  in 
the  Paris  Memorial  Exhibition  (No.  8).  An 
illustration  appears  in  Pennel,  v.  11,  p.  124. 
Oil  on  panel;  H.  19^,  W.  26". 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBER   6 

6      SYMPHONY        IN        WHITE 

II:    THE     LITTLE     WHITE     GIRL 
LENT    BY   ARTHUR   STUDD 

Standing  before  a  mantel  is  the  three-quarter 
length  of  a  young  girl  in  a  white  dress,  the 
figure  turned  three-quarters  to  the  right.  The 
head,  with  loosened  hair,  is  seen  in  profile  and 
is  reflected  in  the  glass.  Her  right  hand  hangs 
at  her  side  and  holds  a  Japanese  fan  with 
Hiroshige-like  decorations;  the  left  arm  rests 
on  the  white  mantel  ledge  in  front  of  a  red  lac- 
quered box  and  a  blue  and  white  vase.  Pink 
and  purple  azaleas  show  at  the  right  near  the 
edge  of  the  canvas. 

The  picture  is  signed,  IVhistler,  at  the  top  near 
the  right.  It  was  dated  originally  1864,  but 
about  1900  Whistler  painted  out  the  date, 
saying  that  he  "did  not  see  the  use  of  those 
great  figures  sprawling  there." 
It  was  painted  later  than  the  Golden  Screen  and 
the  Lange  Leizen,  and  there  was  no  mas- 
querading here  in  foreign  costume.  The  model 
was  Jo,  who  also  posed  for  The  White  Girl  (No. 
3  in  this  exhibition).  A  change  of  method 
is  noticeable,  the  paint  is  thinner  on  the 
canvas  and  there  is  greater  repose  in  the  com- 
position. Swinburne  saw  the  picture  before  it 
was  sent  to  the  Royal  Academy  of  1865  and 
wrote  Before  the  Mirror:   Verses  under  a  Pic- 

9 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM   OF    ART 

iure,  two  verses  of  which  were  inserted  in  the 

catalogue. 

The  painting  was  lent  by  Gerald  Potter  to  the 

Goupil  Gallery  exhibition  in  1892  (No.  33);  it 

was  at  the  Venice  International  Exposition  of 

1895;  in   the   American   section   of   the   Paris 

International  Exposition  of   1900,  and  at  the 

Memorial  Exhibitions  in  Boston  (No.  28),  and 

Paris  (No.  5).     It  is  illustrated  in  Pennell,  v. 

II,  p.  252. 

Oil  on  canvas;  H.  29/,  W.  19!". 

7    NOCTURNE— BLUE  AND   GOLD 
valparaiso 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

In  the  foreground,  stretching  out  into  the  water, 
is  a  pier,  with  many  people  walking  about; 
small  boats  to  the  right  and  beyond  a  fleet  of 
ships,  their  lights  and  masts  reflected  on  the 
water.  The  distant  shore  is  mountainous  and 
the  sky  above  is  light  blue.  To  the  extreme 
left  a  shower  of  sparks  falls  from  a  rocket. 
This  is  one  of  the  few  pictures  which  remain  of 
those  painted  during  Whistler's  trip  to  Chili, 
where  he  and  his  brother  went  in  1866  with  the 
idea  of  joining  the  insurgents.  When  they 
reached  Valparaiso  the  rebellion  had  ceased. 
This  picture  was  lent  to  the  London  Memorial 
10 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBER   8 

Exhibition  (No.  i6)  by  George  McCulIoch.     An 
illustration  appears  in  Way,  p.  62. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  29^",  W.  19!''. 


8  SYMPHONY  IN  GRAY  AND 
GREEN:  the   ocean 

LENT    BY    RICHARD   A.    CANFIELD 

A  broad  expanse  of  water  with  several  vessels 
at  anchor.  To  the  left  the  end  of  a  pier  against 
which  waves  are  breaking;  to  the  right  branches 
and  leaves  are  silhouetted  against  the  water. 
The  sky  is  green-gray  and  lightest  at  the  hori- 
zon. 

Butterfly  monogram  is  in  a  dark  cartouche  to 
the  right  near  the  bottom.  The  frame  was  de- 
signed and  decorated  by  Whistler;  the  butterfly 
monogram  is  repeated  on  the  right  hand  side  of 
the  frame,  a  little  higher  than  the  signature  on 
the  canvas. 

This  is  the  earliest  picture  in  the  exhibition 
wherein  the  butterfly  monogram  appears. 
Whistler  began  to  feel  that  a  large  signature, 
such  as  he  used  in  his  early  pictures,  was  a  dis- 
cordant note.  In  the  Golden  Screen  the  signa- 
ture is  interlaced  and  placed  in  a  decorative 
way  somewhat  after  the  Japanese  fashion. 
With  the  symphonies,  nocturnes  and  large 
portraits  the  butterfly  began  to  be  used.     It 

II 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM    OF    ART 

was  made  from  the  interlacing  of  the  letters 
J.  M.  W.  into  a  monogram,  which  gradually 
evolved  into  the  butterfly  in  outline,  then 
shaded,  and  finally  a  stencil-like  silhouette. 
It  was  introduced  as  a  note  of  color,  as  im- 
portant in  the  picture  as  anything  else.  At 
times  it  was  put  in  almost  at  the  first  painting 
to  judge  the  eifect;  was  scraped  out  with  the 
rest,  and  put  in  again  and  again  until  he  secured 
the  proper  efi'ect.  The  butterfly  was  used  as  a 
signature  on  prints  and  in  his  correspondence, 
on  invitations  and  on  catalogues;  in  The  Gentle 
Art  of  Making  Enemies  it  was  elaborated  in 
many  ways  and  a  sting  was  added. 

This  is  one  of  the  pictures  painted  at  Valparaiso; 
its  first  title  was  The  Pacific. 
The  picture  was  lent  to  the  Goupil  Gallery  Ex- 
hibition in  1892  (No.  15)  by  Mrs.  Peter  Taylor; 
it  was  in  the  Salon  the  same  year  and  was  in 
the  Memorial  Exhibitions  at  Boston  (No.  74) 
and  Paris  (No.  62). 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  31",  W.  38I". 

9    NOCTURNE:   blue    and    silver 

— ^  B  O  G  N  O  R 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

In  the  foreground  is  the  beach  with  a  silvery 

line  of  low  waves;  the  silhouettes  of  two  figures 

12 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBER    10 

are  discerned  to  the  left.     Beyond  is  a  calm 

deep  blue  sea  with  four  sail-boats,  two  of  them 

with  lights;  the  blue  sky  is  dotted  with  stars. 

Butterfly  monogram,  in  white,  is  on  a  rail  post 

in  right-hand  lower  corner. 

This  picture  was  lent  by  Alfred  Chapman  to  the 

Goupil  Gallery  Exhibition  in  1892  (No.  24)  and 

was  in  the  Memorial  Exhibitions  at  Boston  (No. 

65)  and  Paris  (No.  68). 

Oil  on  canvas;  H.  19^",  W.  33 i". 

10     PORTRAIT  SKETCH   OF  MR. 
WH I STLER 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

Half  length  portrait,  the  figure  turned  to  the 
right  and  the  face  in  three-quarter  view.  He 
wears  a  loose  black  coat,  with  low  white  collar 
showing,  and  a  soft  black  hat  under  which  his 
gray  lock  is  seen.  Dark  background. 
The  earliest  known  self-portrait  in  oil  is  the  one 
painted  in  Paris  about  1859,  the  Whistler  with 
a  Hat  (illustrated  in  Pennell,  v.  i,  p.  190 
and  engraved  by  Guerard),  which  was  lent  by 
Samuel  P.  Avery  to  the  Memorial  Exhibitions 
in  Boston  (No.  55)  and  Paris  (No.  i).  William 
Michael  Rosetti  in  his  diary  for  February  5, 
1867,  mentions  seeing  in  Whistler's  studio  "a 
clever,  vivacious  portrait  of  himself,"  believed 

13 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM   OF    ART 

to  be  the  one  that  belonged  to  the  late  George 
McCullough  and  which  appears  as  the  frontis- 
piece to  Pennell,  v.  ii. 

The  portrait  sketch  in  this  exhibition  belongs 
to  about  this  period  or  a  little  later  and  is  re- 
produced for  the  first  time. 
In  1874  Whistler  wrote  to  Fantin-Latour  about 
studies  for  a  big  picture  on  the  plan  of  that 
artist's  Homage  a  Delacroix.  Whistler  was  to 
be  the  central  figure  with  the  White  Girl  on  a 
couch,  La  Japonaise  walking  about,  and  Albert 
Moore  and  Fantin  to  give  the  black  note.  One 
of  the  studies.  Whistler  in  his  Studio,  is  illus- 
trated in  Pennell,  v.  i,  p.  184.  In  1894  he  was 
painting  a  portrait  of  himself  in  a  white  jacket 
which,  according  to  the  Pennells,  was  changed 
into  a  dark  coat  after  his  wife's  death.  A  full 
length  in  long  overcoat  was  in  the  Paris  Expo- 
sition of  1900  under  the  title  of  Brown  and 
Gold;  a  half-length  belonging  to  George  W. 
Vanderbilt  and  was  in  the  Memorial  Exhibi- 
tions in  Boston  (No.  i)  and  Paris  (No.  29) 
under  the  same  title  of  Brown  and  Gold,  and 
reproduced  in  Leonce  Benedite,  plate  i,  while 
a  pen  and  ink  drawing  for  it  is  shown  in 
Pennell,  v.  11,  p.  202. 

There  are  several  etched  self-portraits.  A  very 
early  one  (W.  i),  one  dated  1859  (W.  52)  and  the 
Whistler  with  the  White  Lock  (W.  142),  the 
frontispiece   to   Ralph   Thomas'   Catalogue    of 

14 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBER    II 

Etchings  and  Drypoints  of  Whistler  is  an 
etching  very  similar  to  the  McCullough  portrait 
and  is  dated  1874.  A  chalk  drawing  belonging 
to  Thomas  Way  is  illustrated  in  Pennell,  v.  i, 
p.  136. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  27^',  W.  2  if. 

II     PORTRAIT  OF  F.R.LEYLAND 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

Full  length,  life  size  figure,  slightly  turned  to 
the  right,  the  face  full  front.  His  hair  and  full 
pointed  beard  are  brown;  he  wears  black  even- 
ing dress  with  a  white  ruffled  shirt;  the  right 
hand  rests  on  the  hip  and  over  the  left  arm  he 
carries  a  gray  overcoat;  a  silver  buckle  shows 
on  the  right  shoe.  Dark  background  and  gray 
floor. 

Mr.  Frederick  Leyland  was  one  of  Whistler's 
early  patrons,  and  between  1872  and  1874  he 
painted  portraits  of  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leyland 
and  of  their  four  children.  Whistler  made  long 
visits  at  Speke  Hall,  Leyland's  place  near  Liver- 
pool, and  the  big  canvases  traveled  with  him, 
back  and  forth  between  Speke  Hall  and  London, 
sittings  being  given  in  both  places.  Etchings 
and  dry-points  that  record  these  visits  are: 
Speke  Hall  (W.  86,  dated  1870,  and  Sup.  269), 
Speke  Shore  (W.   119),  Shipping  at  Liverpool 

15 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM    OF    ART 

(W.  84)  and  The  Dam  Wood  (W.  120).  It  was 
for  Mr.  Leyland's  London  house  in  Prince's 
Gate  that  the  Peacock  Room  was  decorated. 
In  this  portrait  Whistler  for  the  first  time  sup- 
pressed the  background  and  put  the  figure  into 
the  atmosphere  in  which  it  stood,  without  any 
accessories;  the  problem  was  to  make  the  figure 
stand  as  far  within  the  frame  as  the  artist  stood 
from  it  when  he  painted  it.  Mr.  Graves,  one  of 
Whistler's  assistants,  says  of  this  portrait  that 
he  "got  into  an  awful  mess"  over  the  legs  and 
finally  had  a  model  to  pose  for  it  nude.  An 
etching  (W.  93,  inscribed  Mr.  Frederick  Ley- 
land)  shows  only  the  upper  part  of  the  body. 
Mr.  Leyland's  portrait  was  finished  in  the  winter 
of  1873  and  was  shown  in  Whistler's  Pall  Mall 
Exhibition  of  1874.  It  was  lent  to  the  London 
Memorial  (No.  100)  by  Mrs.  Val  Prinsep,  and  is 
illustrated  in  the  London  catalogue,  p.  1 18.  A 
sketch  for  the  portrait  was  lent  to  the  London 
Memorial  (No.  97)  by  Charles  Conder. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  74",  W.  35". 


12    NOCTURNE    IN    BLACK   AND 

GOLD:    THE     FALLING    ROCKET 
LENT    BY   MRS.    SAMUEL   UNTERMYER 

A  dark  blue  night  scene  with  fireworks  in  a 

park.     In  the  foreground  is  a  path  with  a  grass 

plat  to  the  right;  on  the  left  a  mass  of  foliage 

16 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBER    12 

and  a  crowd  of  people,  felt  rather  than  seen. 
in  the  distance  are  two  illuminated  towers; 
bursting  skyrockets,  drop  showers  of  sparks. 
Exhibited  first  at  the  Dudley  Gallery  in  October, 
1875,  when  it  was  scarcely  noticed.  It  was  next 
seen  with  seven  other  paintings  by  Whistler  at 
the  first  exhibition  of  the  Grosvenor  Gallery, 
which  opened  with  a  reception  on  April  30, 
1877.  This  was  the  independent  gallery  or- 
ganized by  Sir  Coutts  Lindsay  in  opposition  to 
the  Royal  Academy  in  London,  the  "greenery- 
yallery,  Grosvenor  Gallery"  parodied  by  Gil- 
bert and  Sullivan.  The  critics  praised  Burne- 
Jones,  Millais,  Leighton  and  others,  but  only 
sneered  at  Whistler;  the  Aihenceum  referring  to 
this  "whimsical,  if  capable,  artist  and  his 
vagaries."  Ruskin,  in  his  Fors  Clavigera  of 
July  2,  1877,  wrote:  "For  Mr.  Whistler's  own 
sake,  no  less  than  for  the  protection  of  the  pur- 
chaser, Sir  Coutts  Lindsay  ought  not  to  have 
admitted  works  into  the  gallery  in  which  the 
ill-educated  conceit  of  the  artist  so  nearly  ap- 
proaches the  aspect  of  wilful  imposture.  I  have 
seen,  and  heard,  much  of  cockney  impudence 
before  now,  but  never  expected  to  hear  a  cox- 
comb ask  two  hundred  guineas  for  flinging  a 
pot  of  paint  in  the  public's  face." 
This  led  to  the  famous  libel  suit  of  Whistler  v. 
Ruskin,  November  25  and  26,  1878,  when  the 
jury  awarded  Whistler  damages  of  one  farthing, 

'»7 


THE   METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM   OF    ART 

without  costs.  During  the  trial  Whistler  gave 
the  following  definition  of  a  Nocturne:  "  1  have 
perhaps  meant  rather  to  indicate  an  artistic  in- 
terest alone  in  the  work,  divesting  the  picture 
from  any  outside  sort  of  interest  which  might 
have  been  otherwise  attached  to  it.  It  is  an 
arrangement  of  line,  form  and  color  first,  and  I 
make  use  of  any  incident  which  shall  bring 
about  a  symmetrical  result.  Among  my  works 
are  some  night  pieces;  and  1  have  chosen  the 
word  'nocturne'  because  it  generalizes  and 
simplifies  the  whole  set  of  them."  After  Whis- 
tler had  stated  that  he  worked  about  two  days 
on  The  Falling  Rocket,  the  Attorney  General 
said:  "The  labor  of  two  days,  then,  is  that  for 
which  you  ask  two  hundred  guineas?"  to  which 
Whistler  replied:  "No — I  ask  it  for  the  knowl- 
edge of  a  lifetime." 

Whistler  recorded  all  the  details  of  the  trial  in 
a  brown-covered  pamphlet  published  by  him  in 
December,  1878,  under  the  title  of  IVhistler  v. 
Ruskin:  Art  and  Art  Critics.  This  was  included 
in  the  later  editions  of  his  Gentle  Art  of  Making 
Enemies. 

The  picture  was  in  the  Goupil  Exhibition  of 
1892  (No.  10)  and  the  Memorial  Exhibitions  in 
Boston  (No.  84)  and  Paris  (No.  66).     An  illus- 
tration appears  in  Pennell,  v.  i,  p.  232. 
Oil  on  panel;  H.  23!",  W.  17I". 


18 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBER    I3 

13  ARRANGEMENT  IN  BLACK 
AND    BROWN:    rosa   corder 

LENT    BY    RICHARD   A.    CANFIELD 

Full  length,  life  size,  standing  figure  with  her 
back  toward  the  spectator,  her  body  turned  to 
the  right  and  her  face  seen  in  profile.  Her  light 
brown  hair  is  tightly  coiled.  She  wears  a  black 
dress  and  a  black  coat  edged  with  fur,  with 
white  showing  at  the  neck  and  down  the  front. 
The  right  hand,  hanging  at  her  side,  holds  a 
brown  felt  hat  with  flowing  brown  feather. 
The  background  is  dark,  almost  black;  the 
floor  is  gray-brown. 

Jacque  Blanche,  the  painter,  has  said  that 
Whistler  once  saw  Miss  Rosa  Corder  in  her 
brown  dress  pass  a  door  painted  black  and  was 
struck  with  the  effect  of  color.  The  picture 
was  begun  at  2  Lindsey  Row,  before  1876,  as  a 
commission  from  Charles  Augustus  Howell, 
Whistler's  man  of  affairs.  It  was  sold  at 
Christie's  with  Howell's  other  effects  in  April, 
1881,  for  £130.  In  1902  Whistler  saw  to  the 
cleaning  of  this  picture  when  it  was  purchased 
by  the  present  owner  from  Graham  Robertson. 
The  picture  was  exhibited  at  the  Grosvenor 
Gallery  in  1879;  at  the  Salon  des  Artistes  Fran- 
fais  in  1890;  International  Society  of  Sculptors, 
Painters  and  Gravers  in  1898  (No.  178),  and  in 
the  Memorial  Exhibitions  at  Boston  (No.  25) 

19 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM    OF    ART 

and  Paris  (No.  21).     An  illustration  appears  in 

Penneli,  v.  i,  p.  296. 

Oil  on  canvas;  H.  75",  W.  36". 


14     PORTRAIT     OF     FLORENCE 
LEY  LAN  D 

LENT    BY     THE     BROOKLYN     INSTITUTE     OF     ARTS 
AND    SCIENCES 

Full  length,  life  size,  standing  figure,  seen  full 
face.  She  wears  a  gray  dress  with  a  black  bow 
where  the  fishu  meets;  white  ruffles  fall  over 
her  black  gloves  and  a  handkerchief  is  held 
in  her  right  hand.  Her  round,  black  hat  is 
trimmed  with  gray.  The  background  is  almost 
black,  the  floor  slightly  gray. 
Whistler  made  a  dry-point  of  Florence  Leyland 
(W.  96)  in  1873,  showing  her  in  early  girlhood 
with  a  hoop  in  her  hand;  comparing  that  with 
the  apparent  age  of  the  subject  of  this  portrait 
it  must  have  been  painted  about  1877.  Flor- 
ence Leyland,  the  youngest  daughter  of  F.  R. 
Leyland  (see  No.  1 1  in  this  catalogue),  was  also 
the  original  Blue  Girl  or  Baby  Leyland,  a  full 
length  three  times  attempted  and  once  com- 
pleted but  destroyed  by  Whistler.  Several 
studies  are  known,  a  pen-and-ink  sketch  is 
illustrated  in  Duret,  p.  53. 
After  the  death  of  Mr.  Leyland  in  1892,  the 
portrait  became  the  property  of  Florence  Ley- 
20 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBER    1 5 

land,  who  had  married  Val  Princep,  the  painter. 
Her  husband  died  in  1905  and  it  was  purchased 
the  following  year  for  the  Brooklyn  Institute 
of  Arts  and  Sciences. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  74!",  W.  35!". 


15    THE      WHITE      SYMPHONY: 
three   girls 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

Three  women  dressed  in  white  are  in  a  Japanese- 
like garden,  the  blue  sky  showing  between  the 
white  wall  and  the  white  awning.  In  the  cen- 
ter, a  kneeling  figure  wearing  a  red  cap  is 
tending  a  pink-blossomed  bush  in  a  red  pot 
raised  on  a  green  trellis.  The  girl  on  the  left, 
leaning  over,  has  a  pink  drapery  and  a  purple 
fan  is  in  her  hand.  To  the  right  stands  a  figure 
wearing  a  red  cap  and  holding  a  Japanese  para- 
sol over  her  right  shoulder. 
This  is  one  of  the  Six  Schemes  or  Projects,  of 
practically  the  same  size,  which  were  probably 
the  studies  for  a  decoration  for  Mr.  Leyland  that 
was  never  executed.  William  Michael  Rosetti, 
the  writer,  in  his  diary  for  July  28,  1867,  noted: 
"Whistler  is  doing  on  a  largish  scale,  for  Ley- 
land,  the  subject  of  women  with  flowers." 
This  picture  was  in  the  Memorial  Exhibitions 
at  Boston  (No.  19)  and  Paris  (No.  11).  A  simi- 
21 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM    OF    ART 

lar  composition  called  Three  Figures,  Pink  and 
Gray  was  lent  by  Alfred  Chapman  to  the  Lon- 
don Memorial  (No.  399).  There  are  several 
etchings  and  lithographs  in  which  the  separate 
figures  of  the  Projects  may  be  found. 
Oil  on  academy  board;  H.  lyf",  W.  23^". 

16  NOCTURNE:  blue  and  sil- 
ver —  battersea     reach 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

A  foggy  evening  on  the  Thames.  In  the  fore- 
ground, on  the  right,  are  boats  with  folded  sails. 
Through  a  blue-gray  veil  of  mist  that  covers 
river  and  sky,  is  seen  the  irregular  line  of  docks 
with  points  of  light. 

This  picture  was  lent  by  W.  G.  Rawlinson  to 
the  Goupil  Gallery  Exhibition  in  1892;  it  was 
in   the  Memorial   Exhibitions  at   Boston   (No. 
63)  and  Paris  (No.  70). 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  19^",  W.  29^'. 

17  THE    JAPANESE    DRESS 

lent    by    HOWARD   MANSFIELD 

The  standing  figure  of  a  young  woman,  her 
right  hand  crossing  her  body  to  hold  over  her 
left  shoulder  a  yellow  Japanese  parasol.  Her 
left  hand  grasps  the  kimono,  which  is  flesh- 
22 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBER    l8 

colored  with  a  pattern  in  peacock-blue  and  is 
lined  with  yellow.  The  skirt  of  gray-blue 
with  touches  of  light  blue  and  bright  rose, 
is  caught  at  the  waist  with  a  vermillion  obi. 
On  her  yellow  hair  is  a  flesh-colored  cap  with  a 
peacock-blue  band  and  a  touch  of  rose-color. 
The  butterfly  monogram,  shaded  with  peacock- 
blue,  is  placed  to  the  left  of  the  figure  on  a  line 
slightly  above  the  knees.  Along  the  right- 
hand  edge,  in  pencil,  and  almost  covered  by  the 
pastel,  is  the  inscription  2  Lindsey  Houses, 
Chelsea.  Whistler  moved  to  No.  2  Lindsey 
Row,  Chelsea,  late  in  1866  and  the  house  was 
sold  in  1878. 

It   was   in    the    Boston    Memorial    Exhibition 
(No.  116). 
Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.  10",  W.  6y. 

18    ANNABEL    LEE 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

A  female  figure  standing  near  the  sea  with  her 
left  hand  on  a  railing  and  her  back  toward  the 
spectator.  She  is  dressed  in  gauzy  white  held 
with  yellow  bands;  an  iridescent  blue  and 
green  scarf  floats  from  her  arms  and  a  purple 
cap  covers  her  light  hair.  Beyond  is  a  wide 
expanse  of  light  blue  sea  and  sky.  In  the  fore- 
ground, purple  irises  rise  from  the  green  lawn. 

23 


THE  METROPOLITAN  MUSEUM  OF  ART 

Butterfly  monogram,   shaded  with   purple,   is 

placed  in  the  water  to  the  left. 

There  is  an  oil  painting  of  the  same  subject, 

never  exhibited.     Whistler  rarely  gave  literary 

titles  to  his  pictures,  the  only  other  one  known 

being  the  EfFie  Deans  in  the  Rijks  Museum  at 

Amsterdam. 

This  picture  was  lent  by  Thomas  Way  to  the 

London    Memorial  Exhibition    (No.    63).     An 

illustration  appears  in  Pennell,  v.  11,  p.  92. 

Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.  i2|",  W. 6f". 

19    THE    DOORWAY,    VENICE 

LENT    BY    RICHARD    A.    CANFIELD 

A  courtyard  with  two  gaily  dressed  women  at 
a  well.  Through  the  doorway  is  seen  a  passage, 
a  canal  and  the  houses  on  the  other  bank. 
Above  the  doorway  are  three  windows  with 
green  shutters  and  railings;  in  two  of  the  win- 
dows women  are  leaning  over  the  railing. 
Butterfly  monogram,  shaded  with  brown,  placed 
to  the  right  below  the  center. 
Whistler's  only  visit  to  Venice  was  from  Sep- 
tember, 1879  to  November,  1880,  and  during 
that  time  he  executed  many  etchings  and  pas- 
tels. His  method  was  to  draw  with  black 
chalk  on  brown  paper  and  then  faintly  suggest 
with  pastels  the  colors  of  the  old  walls,  the 
green  shutters,  the  women's  bright  dresses. 
24 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBERS    20    AND    21 

The  color  was  put  in  as  with  mosaics  or  stained 

glass — usually  a  flat  tint  of  pastel  between  the 

black  lines.     In  this  way  he  had  for  years  made 

studies  for  his  pictures. 

These  seven  Venetian  pastels  were  lent  by  Mr. 

Canfield    to    the    Paris    Memorial    Exhibition. 

This  one  was  No.  i66. 

Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.  1 1",  W.  7^". 

20  A    CANAL,     VENICE 

LENT    BY    RICHARD    A.    CANFIELD 

A  narrow,  winding  canal  with  four  moored  gon- 
dolas;   in    the    distance    a    steep,    single    arch 
bridge.     Houses  to  the  right  and  left  with  green 
shutters    reflected    in    the    water.     The    same 
canal  from  a  slightly  different  point  of  view  may 
be  seen  in  the  etching.  Quiet  Canal  (W.  184). 
Butterfly  monogram,  shaded  with  brown,  placed 
at  the  left  near  the  bottom. 
This  picture  was  in  the  Paris  Memorial  Exhi- 
bition (No.  156). 
Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.  1 1\",  W.  5I". 

21  THE    FERRY,    VENICE 

LENT    BY    RICHARD   A.    CANFIELD 

A  narrow  canal  with  steps  at  the  end;  three 
moored  gondolas.  To  the  right  are  houses  with 
green  and  red  shutters;  to  the  left  a  high  wall 

25 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM   OF    ART 

with  overhanging  foliage.  In  the  middle  dis- 
tance is  a  single  arched  bridge,  and  beyond,  to 
the  left,  a  row  of  houses. 

Butterfly  monogram,  shaded  with  brown,  in 
lower  left  corner. 

This  picture  was  in  the  Paris  Memorial  Exhi- 
bition (No.  157). 
Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.  io|",  W.  5". 


22  A    STREET,    VENICE 

LENT    BY    RICHARD   A.    CANFIELD 

A  woman  in  a  black  shawl  is  seen  in  a  narrow 
street  with  high  houses  on  each  side.     Beyond 
are  steps  and  several  figures. 
This  picture  was  in  the  Paris  Memorial  Exhi- 
bition (No.  161). 
Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.  10^",  W.  3^". 

23  THE    CEMETERY,    VENICE 

LENT    BY    RICHARD   A.    CANFIELD 

A  wide  canal  with  three  draped  gondolas;  to 
the  right  a  white  church  and  its  cemetery 
with  green  trees.  In  the  distance  a  line  of 
buildings  silhouetted  between  sea  and  sky. 
Butterfly  monogram,  in  outline,  in  lower  left 
corner. 

This  picture  was  in  the  Paris  Memorial  Exhi- 
26 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBERS    24    AND    25 

bition   (No.    155).     An  illustration  appears  in 

Gary,  p.  198. 

Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.6i",  W.  lof". 

24  NOCTURNE,    VENICE 

LENT    BY    RICHARD    A.    CANFIELD 

In  the  foreground  a  line  of  boats;  lights  gleam 
on  the  distant  shore  and  are  reflected  in  the 
water. 

Butterfly  monogram,  shaded,  placed  to  the 
right  near  the  bottom. 

This  picture  was  in  the  Paris  Memorial  Exhi- 
bition (No.  154). 
Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.yJ",  W.  lof". 

25  LONGVENICE 

LENT    BY    RICHARD    A.    CANFIELD 

View  of  Venice  seen  from,  the  lagoon;  vessels 
at  anchor;  deep  blue  water  reflecting  several 
campaniles.  A  similar  composition  appears  in 
the  etching,  Little  Venice  (W.  149),  which  was 
one  of  the  Venice  set  published  by  the  Fine  Art 
Society,  London,  1880. 

Butterfly  monogram,  in  outline,  on  lower  edge 
to  the  right  of  the  center. 

This  picture  was  in  the  Paris  Memorial  Exhi- 
bition (No.  152). 

Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.4^",  W.  lof*. 
27 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM    OF    ART 

56    ARCHWAY,    VENICE 

LENT    BY    HOWARD    MANSFIELD 

A  red  and  orange  wall  broken  by  an  archway, 
within  which  a  child  is  leaning  against  the  left 
wall;  another  figure  stands  in  the  center  of  the 
archway.  A  woman,  wearing  an  orange  shawl, 
stands  in  the  open  court  seen  through  the  arch- 
way; beyond  her,  on  the  right,  is  a  green  shutter 
and  on  the  left  a  door  with  a  glass  fan-light. 
This  picture  was  in  the  Boston  Memorial  Exhi- 
bition (No.  127). 
Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.  i  U",  W.  7V'. 

27  THE    ISLES    OF    VENICE 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

The  blue  sea  is  dotted  with  white  sails  and  a 

large  brown  one  is  seen  to  the  right;  the  Isles 

are  silhouetted  against  a  light  sky. 

Butterfly  monogram,  shaded  in  violet,  in  lower 

right  corner. 

Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.  3}",  W.  lof. 

28  VENUS    ASTARTE 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

A  nude  standing  figure,  seen  full  front,  who 
holds  back  a  green  veil.     There  is  a  rose-colored 
band  in  her  brown  hair. 
28 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBER    29 

Butterfly  monogram,  shaded  with  rose,  placed 
to  the  right. 

This  picture  was  in  the  Paris  Memorial  Exhi- 
bition (No.  132). 
Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.  lof ,  \V.  6f'^ 


29    ARRANGEMENT     IN     BLACK: 

PORTRAIT   OF   SENOR   PABLO   DE 
SARASARTE 

LENT    BY    THE   CARNEGIE    INSTITUTE,    PITTSBURG 

A  full  length,  almost  life  size,  standing  portrait 
of  the  musician.  He  is  in  evening  dress  and 
holds  his  violin  and  bow  in  the  act  of  tuning. 
The  background  is  dark  gray,  almost  black,  and 
the  floor  is  a  lighter  gray. 
Butterfly  monogram,  in  gray  silhouette  on  the 
darker  ground,  is  placed  to  the  right  about 
halfway  up.  Original  frame  designed  and 
decorated  by  Whistler;  his  butterfly  monogram 
is  placed  on  the  right-hand  side. 
This  portrait  was  seen  in  the  studio  at  13  Tite 
Street,  Chelsea,  by  Joseph  Pennell  when,  in 
1884,  he  visited  Whistler  for  the  first  time.  He 
says  that  "what  Whistler  was  trying  to  do  was 
to  paint  the  man  on  the  shadowy  concert  plat- 
form as  the  audience  saw  him.  Sarasarte  is 
intended  to  look  small,  less  than  life-size,  as  he 
would  appear  when  seen  away  up  on  the  con- 
cert stage."     Whistler  in  speaking  of  this  por- 

:?9 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM    OF    ART 

trait  to  Sidney  Starr  referred  to  its  being  "All 
balanced  by  the  bow." 

It  was  exhibited  for  the  first  time  at  the  Society 
of  British  Artists  in  1885;  was  in  the  Paris  Salon 
in  1891,  and  in  the  1897  exhibition  of  the 
Carnegie  Institute,  Pittsburg,  having  been  pur- 
chased in  1896.  It  was  shown  in  the  Memor- 
ial Exhibitions  in  Boston  (No.  53),  London  (No. 
19),  and  Paris  (No.  20).  An  illustration  of  this 
portrait  and  also  of  a  pen-and-ink  sketch  for  it 
appear  in  Pennell,  v.  11,  p.  4. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  84",  W.  40". 

30  GRAY     AND      SILVER:      the 

THAMES 

LENT    BY    ROSALIND    BERNIE    PHILIP 

A  view,  from   the  embankment   in   the  fore- 
ground, of  the  quiet  river  reflecting  a  few  small 
boats  and  the  warehouses  and  tall  chimneys  on 
the  opposite  shore.   There  is  a  silvery  gray  sky. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  23!'-,  W.  17I". 

31  SYMPHONY  IN  VIOLET  AND 
BLUE 

LENT    BY    ALFRED   ATMORE    POPE 

Rolling  sea  with  white-capped  waves  and  three 
sailboats  on  the  horizon.  Blue  sky  with 
broken  storm  clouds. 

30 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBER   32 

Butterfly  monogram,  a  dark  silhouette,  on  the 

water  near  the  left  corner. 

This  picture  was  in  the  Salon  of  1894  although 

not  catalogued.     It  was  shown  in  the  Boston 

Memorial  Exhibition  (No.  30). 

Oil  on  canvas;  H.  ig\\  W.  28''. 

32  ARRANGEMENT  IN  BLACK 
AND    GOLD:    le   comte   robert 

LENT    by    RICHARD   A.    CANFIELD 

Full  length,  life  size,  standing  figure  turned  to 
the  right  with  his  face  almost  full  front.  He 
wears  a  black  dress  suit;  a  dark  gray  overcoat 
lined  with  silvery  gray  is  thrown  over  his  left 
arm;  in  his  gloved  hand  he  holds  a  slender 
brown  cane.  The  background  is  dark,  almost 
black;  the  floor  a  golden  brown. 
Butterfly  monogram,  in  brown  silhouette  against 
darker  background,  is  placed  to  the  left  half- 
way up. 

This  portrait  of  Count  Robert  de  Montesquiou- 
Fezensac  was  painted  in  1890  and  1891;  there 
was  a  second  one,  never  finished.  Edmond  de 
Goncourt  in  his  journal  for  July  7,  1891,  wrote: 
"Montesquiou  tells  me  that  Whistler  is  now 
doing  two  portraits  of  him:  one  is  in  evening 
dress  with  a  fur  coat  under  his  arm,  the  other 
in  a  great  gray  cloak,  with  high  collar  at  his 
neck  just  suggested,  a  necktie  of  a  mauve  not 

31 


THE  METROPOLITAN  MUSEUM  OF  ART 

to  be  put  into  words,  though  his  eyes  express 
the  ideal  color  of  it." 

Whistler  undertook  to  make  a  lithograph  of 
the  Q)mte  Robert  but  failed,  saying  that  "it 
was  impossible  to  produce  the  same  master- 
piece twice  over — as  difficult  as  for  a  hen  to  lay 
the  same  egg  twice." 

The  present  owner  purchased  this  portrait  from 
the  Comte  de  Montesquiou  early  in  1903.  It 
was  shown  in  the  Boston  Memorial  Exhibition 
(No.  39).  An  illustration  appears  in  Duret, 
p.  174. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  81^",  W.  33". 

33  L'ANDALUSIENNE:mother 
of  pearl  and  silver 

lent  by  john  h.  whittemore 

A  full  length,  life  size,  standing  figure,  her  back 
toward  the  spectator,  the  body  half  turned  to 
the  right  and  the  face  in  profile.  Her  left  hand 
rests  on  her  hip;  the  right  hangs  at  her  side  and 
lightly  holds  her  dress.  Her  hair  is  almost 
black  and  is  dressed  in  a  tight  knot.  She  wears 
a  dress  of  black  net  over  gray  with  transparent 
yoke  and  full  elbow  sleeves.  The  background 
is  lilac-gray,  the  wall  being  much  lighter  than 
the  floor. 

Butterfly  monogram,  a  large  dark  silhouette, 
placed  to  the  right  near  the  center. 
32 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBER    34 

This  is  one  of  several  portraits  of  Miss  Ethel 
Bernie  PhiHp,  a  sister  of  Whistler's  wife,  who  in 
1895  married  Charles  Whibley,  the  writer.  The 
picture  was  in  progress  in  the  Paris  studio  at 
1 10  Rue  du  Bac,  in  1894.  An  etched  portrait 
of  Mrs.  Whibley  is  listed  in  the  Mansfield  Cata- 
logue, No.  438. 

It  was  shown  in  the  American  section  at  the 
Paris  Exposition  of  1900,  and  was  in  the  Me- 
morial Exhibitions  in  Boston  (No.  46)  and 
Paris  (No.  25).  In  Leonce  Benedite's  plates 
from  the  Paris  Memorial  Exhibition  it  is  No. 

XXI. 

Oil  on  canvas;  H.  74^",  W.  34". 

34    A    STUDY    IN    RED 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

The  figure  of  a  girl  in  transparent  red  drapery 

and  wearing  a  red  cap. 

Butterfly  monogram,  shaded  in  red,  placed  to 

the  right. 

Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.  lo^',  W.  5!''. 


33 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM   OF    ART 

35     BLUE    AND    ROSE:  THE   OPEN 

FAN 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

The  figure  of  a  young  girl  in  a  rose-colored  dress 

walking  toward  the  left.     A  blue  cap  is  on  her 

head;  in  her  right  hand  she  holds  an  open  white 

and  blue  fan  and  her  left  hand  is  raised  to  her 

shoulder.     To  the  right  is  a  pink  shrub  in  a 

blue  vase. 

Butterfly  monogram,  shaded  in  dark  blue,  is 

placed  to  the  left. 

Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.  lo^",  W.  6f". 


36    ROSE   AND   RED:   the   little 

PINK     CAP 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

A  woman  standing,  full  face,  her  rose  and  red 
robe  thrown  back  disclosing  the  body.  In  her 
arms  she  holds  a  child  wearing  a  pink  cap.  A 
few  lines  in  the  background  convey  the  im- 
pression of  sea  and  beach. 
Butterfly  monogram,  shaded  in  red,  placed  to 
the  right. 

This  picture  was  shown  at  the  New  English 
Art  Club,  London,  in  1889,  and  it  was  in  the 

34 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,   NUMBERS    37   AND    38 

Memorial  Exhibitions  at  Boston  (No.  130)  and 

Paris  (No.  144). 

Pastel  on  brown  paper;  H.  10^",  W.  6|". 


37    THE     MASTER    SMITH    OF 
LYME     REGIS 

LENT    BY  THE    MUSEUM    OF    FINE    ARTS,   BOSTON 

The  half  length  of  a  man  with  folded  arms;  the 
head  and  figure  turned  three-quarters  to  the 
right.  He  has  very  dark  hair  and  mustache 
and  wears  a  dark  gray  overcoat  and  a  light  gray 
shirt.  The  background  is  dark  brown. 
Butterfly  monogram,  a  dark  silhouette,  at  cen- 
ter of  right  hand  edge. 

Whistler  was  at  Lyme  Regis,  England,  during 
the  autumn  of  1895.  This  picture  was  shown 
in  the  Memorial  Exhibitions  in  Boston  (No. 
36),  London  (No.  24)  and  Paris  (No.  27).  An 
illustration  appears  in  Pennell,  v.  11,  p.  170. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  19I",  W.  1 1^". 


38    THE      LITTLE      ROSE    OF 
LYME     REGIS 

LENT    BY   THE    MUSEUM   OF    FINE    ARTS,    BOSTON' 

The  half  length  portrait  of  a  little  girL  seen  full 

face;  her  hands  crossed  in  her  lap.    She  has> 

35 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM    OF    ART 

chestnut  hair  and  wears  a  black  dress  and  a  red 
pinafore.  The  background  is  violet-brown. 
It  was  painted  during  the  same  season  as  the 
Master  Smith.  Included  in  the  Memorial  Ex- 
hibitions in  Boston  (No.  43),  London  (No.  26) 
and  Paris  (No.  42).  An  illustration  appears  in 
Pennell,  v.  11,  p.  166. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  19^",  W.  11 1". 


39     BLUE       AND      CORAL:       the 

LITTLE     BLUE     BONNET 

LENT    BY    HERBERT    L.    PRATT 

The  half  length  of  a  young  girl,  seated,  her  body 
turned  three-quarters  to  the  left  and  the  face 
full  front.  She  has  chestnut  hair  and  brown 
eyes  that  look  straight  at  the  spectator.  Her 
gray-green  dress  is  trimmed  with  peacock-blue; 
she  wears  a  bonnet  to  match  and  a  tulle  bow  at 
her  throat. 

Butterfly  monogram,  a  coral-red  silhouette,  to 
the  left. 

The  picture  was  in  the  Exhibition  of  the  Inter- 
national Society  of  Sculptors,  Painters  and 
Gravers  in  London  in  1896  (No.  182)  and  in  the 
London  Memorial  Exhibition  (No.  8).  An 
illustration  appears  in  Pennell,  v.  11,  p.  220. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  22 1",  W.  17"  (oval). 


36 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBERS   4O    AND    4I 

40    VERT    ET   OR:  le   raconteur 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

Half  length  figure  of  a  young  boy  seen  full 
front,  his  left  hand  raised.  He  has  brown  eyes 
and  thick  brown  hair;  the  black  coat  with  brown 
lapel  is  open  and  shows  a  brown  vest  and  white 
shirt.  The  background  is  dark  olive. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  19!",  W.  iif". 


41  ROSE  AND  GOLD:  the  little 
lady    sophie    of    soho 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

A  half  length  portrait  of  a  young  girl,  seated, 
with  face  and  figure  turned  three-quarters  to 
the  left  and  her  hands  folded  across  her  lap. 
Her  eyes  are  dark  gray  and  her  dark  brown 
hair  hangs  about  her  shoulders;  she  wears  a 
black  dress.  The  background  is  pinkish-gray. 
Butterfly  monogram,  in  dark  silhouette,  to  the 
left  of  the  figure. 

This  picture  was  included  in  the  Memorial  Ex- 
hibitions at  Boston  (No.  83)  and  Paris  (No.  37). 
An  illustration  appears  in  Pennell,  v.  11,  p.  208. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  25",  W.  2of"  (oval). 


37 


THE  METROPOLITAN  MUSEUM  OF  ART 

42  POUTING    TOM 

LENT    BY    H.    H.    BENEDICT 

The  half  length  of  a  young  girl,  the  face  and 
figure  seen  full  front.  She  wears  a  black  dress 
with  a  white  frill  at  the  throat;  a  close-fitting 
black  cap  rests  on  her  light  brown  hair,  which 
falls  to  her  shoulders  and  is  cut  low  across  her 
forehead.  The  background  is  dark  olive. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  19^",  W.  12". 

43  LITTLE    GREEN    CAP 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

Half  length  of  a  little  girl,  seated,  the  figure 
turned  three-quarters  to  the  right  and  the  face 
almost  full  front.  A  yellow-green  cap  rests  on 
her  auburn  hair.  The  background  is  olive- 
green. 

Butterfly  monogram,  a  dark  silhouette,  on  the 
right  near  the  edge. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  20",  W.  12". 


44    THE    LITTLE    FAUSTINA 

lent  by  the  national  gallery  of  art 
(freer  collection) 

Half  length  of  a  little  girl  seen  full  front,  her 

hands  folded  in  her  lap.     Her  eyes  are  brown 

and  her  brown  hair,  parted  in  the  middle,  falls 

38 


WHISTLER    EXHIBITION,    NUMBERS   45    AND  46 

about  her  shoulders.     She  wears  a  dark  dress 
cut  low  at  the  neck,  disclosing  a  string  of  beads. 
The  background  is  dark  olive-gray. 
The  picture  was  at  the  Paris  Memorial  Exhi- 
bition (No.  43). 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  19!",  W.  i  if". 

45  LANAPOLITAINEiRosEETOR 

LENT    BY    RICHARD   A.    CANFIELD 

A  bust  portrait,  full  face,  of  a  dark  haired,  dark 
eyed  woman.     She  wears  a  rose  colored  dress 
with  dark  trimming  around  a  V-shaped  opening 
at  the  throat,  which  shows  a  single  row  of  coral 
beads.     Dark  olive  background. 
Butterfly  monogram,  scarcely  more  than  a  dark 
shadow,  near  the  center  of  right-hand  edge. 
The  model  for  this  was  probably  Mme.  Carmen 
Rossi,  who,  as  a  child,  had  posed  for  Whistler. 
She  lived  in  Naples  for  some  years  and  then  re- 
turned  to   Paris  and  in    1898  opened  an  art 
school  at  which  Whistler  gave  criticisms. 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  19I",  W.  i  if". 

46  GRAY  AND  SILVER:  LA  PETITE 

S  O  U  R  I  S 

LENT    BY    ROSALIND    BERNIE    PHILIP 

The  bust  portrait  of  a  young  woman  seen  almost 
full  face.    She  wears  a  dark  gray  dress  and  about 

39 


THE    METROPOLITAN    MUSEUM    OF    ART 

her  neck  is  a  gray  feather  boa  held  by  her  right 
hand. 

Butterfly    monogram,    a    dark    silhouette,    is 
placed  on  the  dress  at  the  left. 
This  picture  was  shown  in  the  Memorial  Ex- 
hibitions in  Boston  (No.  27)  and  Paris  (No.  51). 
Oil  on  canvas;  H.  19^^  W.  i  if". 


40 


INDEX 


Andalusienne,   L'   (Mother  of  Pearl  and 

Silver) 33 

Annabel  Lee 18 

Archway,  Venice 26 

Arrangement  in  Black  and  Brown:  Rosa 

Corder 13 

Arrangement    in    Black    and    Gold:    Le 

Comte  Robert 32 

Arrangement  in  Black:  Portrait  of  Senor 

Pablo  Sarasarte 29 

Battersea    Reach    (Nocturne:    Blue   and 

Silver) 16 

Blue  and  Coral :  The  Little  Blue  Bonnet  39 

Blue  and  Rose:  The  Open  Fan  .  35 

Blue  and  Silver:  The  Blue  Wave,  Biarritz  2 

Bognor  (Nocturne:  Blue  and  Silver)         .  9 

Canal,  A,  Venice 20 

Cemetery,  The,  Venice  ....  23 
Comte  Robert  de  Montesquiou-Fezensac 

(Arrangement  in  Black  and  Gold)  32 
Corder,  Rosa  (Arrangement  in  Black  and 

Brown) 13 

Doorway,  The,  Venice  .  .  .  .  19 
41 


INDEX 


NO. 


Falling  Rocket,  The  (Nocturne  in  Black 

and  Gold)          12 

Ferry,  The,  Venice 21 

Gray  and  Silver:  The  Thames    ...  30 

Gray  and  Silver:  La  Petite  Souris  .  46 
Golden  Screen,  The  (Harmony  in  Purple 

and  Gold,  11) 5, 

Harmony  in  Green  and  Rose:  The  Music 

Room ij 

Harmony  in   Purple  and    Gold,    II:  The 

Golden  Screen           ^ 

Isles  of  Venice,  The 27 

Japanese  Dress,  The 17 

Lange  Leizen — of  the  Six  Marks:    Purple 

and  Rose 4 

Leyland,  F.  R.,  Portrait  of         ...11 

Leyland,  Florence,  Portrait  of    .  14 

Little  Blue  Bonnet,  The  (Blue  and  Coral)  39 

Little  Faustina,  The 44, 

Little  Green  Cap           4,3, 

Little  Lady  Sophie  of  Soho,  The  (Rose  and 

Gold) 41 

Little  Pink  Cap,  The  (Rose  and  Red)       .  36 

Little  Rose  of  Lyme  Regis,  The                .  38 
Little   White    Girl,    The    (Symphony   in 

White,  II) 6 

Long  Venice 25 

Master  Smith  of  Lyme  Regis,  The     .  37 
Music  Room,  The  (Harmony  in  Green  and 

Rose) \ 

42 


INDEX 


NO. 


Napolitaine,  La  (Rose  et  Or)      ...  45 
Nocturne:    Blue    and    Silver — Battersea 

Reach 16 

Nocturne:  Blue  and  Silver — Bognor         .  9 
Nocturne    in    Black    and    Gold:    Falling 

Rocket 12 

Nocturne:  Blue  and  Gold — Valparaiso      .  7 

Nocturne:  Venice 24 

Ocean,    The    (Symphony    in    Gray    and 

Green) 8 

Open  Fan,  The  (Blue  and  Rose)        .        .  35 

Petite  Souris,  La  (Gray  and  Silver)  .        .  46 

Pouting  Tom 42 

Purple  and   Rose  (The  Lange  Leizen  of 

the  Six  Marks)        ...           .       .  4 

Raconteur,  Le  (Vert  et  Or)         ...  40 

Rose  and  Red:  The  Little  Pink  Cap         .  36 
Rose  and  Gold:  The  Little  Lady  Sophie 

of  Soho 41 

Rose  et  Or  (La  Napolitaine)       ...  45 

Sarasarte  (Arrangement  in  Black)     .        .  29 

Street,  A,  Venice 22 

Study  in  Red,  A 34 

Symphony    in    Gray    and    Green:    The 

Ocean 8 

Symphony  in  Violet  and  Blue    .               .  31 
Symphony    in    White,     I :     The    White 

Girl 3 

Symphony    in    White,     II:     The    Little 

White  Girl 6 

43 


INDEX 


Thames,  The  (Gray  and  Silver)  . 
Three  Girls  (The  White  Symphony) 
Valparaiso  (Nocturne:  Blue  and  Gold) 

Venice,  Archway 

Venice,  A  Canal 

NO. 

7 
26 

20 

Venice,  The  Cemetery  . 
Venice,  The  Doorway  . 
Venice,  The  Ferry 
Venice,  The  Isles  of 

23 

'9 

21 

27 

Venice,  Long 

25 

Venice  (Nocturne) 
Venice,  A  Street    . 

24 

22 

Venus  Astarte 

28 

Vert  et  Or:  Le  Raconteur 

40 

Whistler,  A  Portrait  Sketch  of  Mr. 

10 

Froniispieci 

White   Girl    (Symphony  in 
White  Symphony,  The:  Th 

White, 
ree  Girls 

I) 

3 
•5 

44 


FfvCIUT\, 


600  824  700    9 


